Stephen E. Hart

Transgenic herbicide‐resistant cultivars of creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera L.) have been developed and are being considered for commercial release. Concerns regarding transgenic species include potential for outcrossing of the crop, which may produce novel genotypes with increased weediness. Persistence and multiyear growth of interspecific hybrids between creeping bentgrass and velvet bentgrass (A. canina L.), colonial bentgrass (A. capillaris L.), dryland bentgrass (A. castellana Boiss. and Reut.), and redtop bentgrass (A. gigantea Roth) and the backcross progeny of the hybrids were compared with the parental species in field experiments. The plants were evaluated over 2 yr in residential Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.) and a low maintenance roadside turf of mixed species. With the exception of redtop bentgrass by creeping bentgrass interspecific hybrids, all interspecific hybrids between creeping bentgrass and colonial, dryland, and velvet bentgrasses were equally or less competitive relative to their parental species. Backcross progeny of interspecific hybrids, including those of redtop bentgrass by creeping bentgrass hybrids, were equally or less competitive than parental species. Bentgrasses that were highly competitive in residential turf were also competitive under roadside maintenance, suggesting bentgrasses have weediness potential regardless of management intensity.

Annual bluegrass is a troublesome weed of Kentucky bluegrass because of a lack of selective POST herbicides for control. Field experiments were conducted in New Jersey to investigate the potential of bispyribac-sodium, primisulfuron, and sulfosulfuron for selective annual bluegrass control in Kentucky bluegrass. Primisulfuron provided the best combination of Kentucky bluegrass safety and annual bluegrass control with greater efficacy in summer than fall. Bispyribac-sodium also provided substantial annual bluegrass control, especially in the summer, but caused unacceptable (> 20%) Kentucky bluegrass injury, whereas annual bluegrass control with sulfosulfuron was inconsistent. Growth chamber experiments confirmed that greater primisulfuron efficacy in summer than fall may be attributed to higher temperatures. Overall, primisulfuron has promising implications for future use in Kentucky bluegrass for annual bluegrass control whereas bispyribac-sodium will likely be more applicable in other cool-season turfgrasses.Nomenclature: Bispyribac-sodium, primisulfuron, sulfosulfuron, annual bluegrass, Poa annua L. POANN, Kentucky bluegrass, Poa pratensis L. ‘Baron’, ‘Midnight’

The effect of ammonium sulfate (AMS) on efficacy, absorption, and translocation of glufosinate in various weed species was investigated in greenhouse and field experiments. Adding ammonium sulfate at 20 g L−1 increased the efficacy of glufosinate on Echinochloa crus-galli, Setaria faberi, and Abutilon theophrasti, but not on Amaranthus rudis or Chenopodium album. AMS increased foliar absorption of 14C from 14C-glufosinate to the greatest extent in A. theophrasti and S. faberi and to the least extent in C. album. AMS increased the translocation of 14C out of the treated leaf 24 h after treatment in A. theophrasti and S. faberi, but not in C. album. These results suggest that AMS can increase the efficacy of glufosinate on A. theophrasti and S. faberi by increasing foliar absorption and subsequent translocation of glufosinate.

Field experiments were conducted in 1995 and 1996 at DeKalb and Urbana, IL, to evaluate weed management systems in glyphosate-resistant soybean planted in rows 76 cm wide. These experiments compared weed control using preemergence (PRE) herbicides followed by glyphosate or postemergence (POST) tank-mix combinations of glyphosate and acetolactate-synthase-inhibiting herbicides with glyphosate applied alone at 0.63 kg ae/ha in single or sequential applications. Overall, the use of a tank-mix partner or a PRE herbicide followed by glyphosate improved weed control compared to a single application of glyphosate. However, weed control with these treatments was not better than with sequential applications of glyphosate. Control of giant foxtail exceeded 90% for single applications of glyphosate except at DeKalb in 1995 when late emergence of giant foxtail occurred after POST applications had been made. A PRE grass herbicide or a late postemergence (LPOST) application of glyphosate was necessary for season-long control of late-emerging giant foxtail. Tank-mixing glyphosate with imazethapyr, cloransulammethyl, and CGA-277476 or applying glyphosate LPOST following these herbicides improved giant foxtail control compared with these herbicides applied alone. A single application of glyphosate controlled common lambsquarters 88% or greater in two of three trials. At Urbana in 1995, a single application of glyphosate controlled common lambsquarters 78% compared to 88 to 96% control with PRE herbicides followed by glyphosate or sequential applications of glyphosate. Velvetleaf control with a single application of glyphosate ranged from 55 to 78%. A PRE application of chlorimuron + metribuzin, cloransulammethyl, or sulfentrazone followed by glyphosate POST, as well as sequential applications of glyphosate, consistently improved velvetleaf control compared to a single application of glyphosate. In some cases, adding glyphosate to a POST application of imazethapyr or CGA-277476 improved control of velvetleaf but decreased velvetleaf control when added to cloransulammethyl.